Blood and Rain
by Matsuko Hirioko
Summary: Pretty much a tragedy among the Elric Brothers.It's AlXWinry at the start, but don't worry, it'll change to EdXWinry!
1. Suicidal Regret

Ed stepped on the ledge of the window sill. He looked down at the empty street 7 stories below. He looked back to the table. On it, was an envelope titled "Al". He nodded. He took a deep breath. His foot edged closer towards the air. His mind flashed back to a moment in the past. Ed was stuck in the river and Al was pulling him out. He remembered Al succeded and they both flopped on the riverbank. He heared Al whisper something: "I'll never let anything happen to you.". Ed's mind flashed back to the present. He looked down again and became frightened. He held his head and headed back inside the apartment, grabbing the envelope and flopping on the couch. He placed his hand over his eyes and began to tremble with fear. His mind was filling with the memories of Al and him. Ed decided to relax a bit and headed for his room.

"Nii-san? It's me." Al called out, entering the apartment. He took off his coat and saw the window was open. A cold breeze blew into the room. Al sighed and walked toward the window. "Brrr...It looks like it's going to rain..." he said, closing the window. He took his coat and hung it on the rack. He noticed an envelope on the floor with his name on it. Picking it up, Al heard a sudden clunk coming from Ed's room. Al suddenly turned grim and realized the letter was a suicide letter from Ed. Al dashed towards the room and threw the door open. He saw the golden wisp of Ed's ponytail leave sight of the window sill. He dashed towards the window to see Ed falling towards the street.

"NII-SAN!!" Al screamed out desperately. Ed looked up. His eyes grew wide.

_'No...wait! I don't want to leave him!' _Ed thought. He clapped his hands together. He realized that alchemy didn't work on this side of the Gate. Ed's heart dropped. He had no choice but to use his artificial arm to cushion his fall.

Al finally reached the lobby when he heard a loud crash from outside. He gasped and stumbled outside. Seeing Ed on the ground covered in blood, Al took a few steps until his legs gave up and he crawled towards his brother. His eyes filled with tears as he layed on his brother's chest. He fell a drop of rain on his head, and blacked out.

Al woke up in a hospital bed. A nurse noticed he was awake and walked towards him. "Thank goodness! We found you with another boy." she said. Al jumped up. 'W-where is that boy?" he asked. The nurse pointed to a bed beside Al. In it was Edward. He had an oxygen mask over his mouth. Al got out of his bed and walked toward his brother's. Al's eyes became blurry with tears. He wiped them away as Ed blinked his eyes. He looked over at his brother.

"Al...phonse?" he whispered. Al nodded. Tears rolled down his eyes.

"Why, Nii-san? Why?" he asked.

Ed looked away. "I...don't remember."

Al nodded. "That's okay. Don't push yourself.". He took Ed's hand. "I'll never let anything happen to you." he said, smiling.

Ed's eyes filled with tears. "Al..." he whispered.


	2. Amnesia

It was a few days before Alphonse took his newly amnesic brother home. The doctors determined that Edward would lose a bit of his memory day by day. To prevent the total loss of his memory, they arranged for him to go to a therapist every week. Those didn't start for another week, for a broken artificial arm took a while to replace. Al told the mechanic not to worry, because it would take some time before Ed would be ready to put his arm back on.

"Here we are, Nii-san." Al said, opening the door. Ed, donning half a head wrap, entered slowly. Al closed the door and took his hand. "I think you should rest for a while." he said, smiling. Ed nodded.

"Yeah. My head is killing me." he replied. He walked over to the door of his room. Opening the door, Ed saw the open window and gasped. He fell to his knees as Al rushed to aid him.

"Nii-san! Nii-san! Hang in there!" Al called to his brother. He knew that Ed was in psychological torment, seeing that window. Al closed the door as Ed gasped and looked up.

"I'm sorry." he said softly. Al smiled, helping him up. He pointed to the guest room. Ed walked towards it and opened the door. There was a window, but it was unused and damaged. He nodded and entered the room.

Al sighed and saw that he didn't open the suicide letter Ed sent him. He dropped it the floor a few days ago when he realized what Ed was going to do. Al sat on the couch and opened the letter quietly. After reading the letter, Al put a hand over his eyes and began to cry. That was the most heart-wrenching letter that Al had gotten from his brother. He looked at the closed door of the guest room, thanking God that Ed was still alive.

A day after they returned home, Al recieved the order for Ed's arm replacement. It didn't come from the factory that usually supplied Ed's artificial limbs, but it came from a familiar name: Winry Rockbell. In the package was an automail arm. Al gasped. "How did she get on this side of the Gate?" he wondered. He shrugged his shoulders and put the arm down. He noticed a little note that said: "Meet me at Waldstone Park as soon as you get this package. -Winry Rockbell." Al grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

At Waldstone Park, Al looked around until he saw a blonde-haired girl sitting under a tree. He ran towards her as she looked up. The girl gasped. "Al..." she said. Al smiled.

"Hi Winry...long time no se-" Al said before Winry had him locked in a hug. It was obvious she was crying, as they haven't seen each other for around two years. Al closed his eyes and let Winry embrace him for a while.

"But Winry...what about Granny?" Al asked. Winry tightened her grip. Al blushed softly as he heared her cry louder. Al patted her on the back, trying to comfort her.

"S-she died of old age, about a month ago!" she said through all her tears. Al gasped and pulled Winry closer. He took her hand.

"Why don't you come home with me? You could see Nii-san, if you wanted." he said. Winry looked at him and nodded.

"Thanks, Al." she whispered. She kissed Al on the cheek lightly and got up. Al blushed and took Winry's hand.

"Wow! Al, this is cool!" Winry exclaimed. Al sushed her lightly. "Oh, sorry...is Ed asleep?" she asked. Al nodded. Winry smiled. "Aww! He's so cute when he's asleep! Can I go have a look?" she asked. Al nodded.

Winry walked towards the door. She opened it slowly. Al could hear her gasp. She walked over to Al and took him by the shoulders. Al looked away. "Al...why is Ed covered in bandages?" she asked in a concerned tone. Al looked away even more. Winry shook him. "Al!!" she exclaimed. Al looked back at her, fresh tears in his eyes.

"N-Nii-san...tried to...commit suicide a few days ago!" Al said in anguish.

Winry gasped and let go of him. "What?" she asked. Al thrusted a letter in front of her.

"Read it. It was Nii-san's last wishes." he said. Winry began to cry and let go of the letter. She took hold of Al again. Al let her cry for a bit until they heared a gentle thud in the guest room.

Al gasped. "Nooo!" he called out, dashing to the door. He slammed it open to see Ed on the floor. His back was stained in blood. There were two knives behind him. Al kneeled at his back and turned him over. Written in blood on Ed's chest was: "Al...I'm sorry.". Winry walked into the room to see Al was arched over his brother. She lifted Al up and took out a roll of bandages.


	3. Therapy

Winry patted another strand onto Edward's stomach. The room was filled with unbearable silence. Alphonse was gone and Ed wouldn't talk. Winry sighed and began another strand over a bare spot on Ed's chest.

"Nii-san? Winry?" Al called out. Winry straightened up.

"In here, Al." she replied. Ed stared at door. Al entered the room with a doctor.

"Um, Nii-san... this is Dr. Ewitt. He's here to help you." Al said softly. Dr. Ewitt bowed.

"Hello, Mr.Elric. I've heard you've tried commiting suicide twice now. I'm here to help you." he said. Winry stood up and left the room with Al. Winry closed the door and went to sit in a chair. She wiped her eyes. Al put his arms around her and kissed her gently on the cheek. Winry brightened and moved closer to Al. He smiled and patted Winry on the shoulder.

Dr.Ewitt left the room. Al looked at him with bleak hope.

"Doctor...has he talked?" Al asked. Dr. Ewitt shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. He did begin to cry when I asked him the motives behind his first attempt." he replied.

"He doesn't remember!" Al said desperately. The doctor sighed.

"There's not much I can do." He replied seriously. He picked up his bag. "Good day, Mr.Elric." Dr. Ewitt said on his way out.

Winry decided to put Ed's automail on him. She opened the door. "Ed?" she called out. Ed was in his bed. He stared emotionlessly at the girl. Winry smiled painfully and moved closer. She pulled down the blanket slightly to reveal Ed's empty arm socket. She nodded and clicked the main mechanism into place. She then moved on to connect Ed's nerves to his automail. She was about to click the last nerve into place when Ed took Winry's free hand. She gasped quietly and looked at him.

"Win...ry..." Ed said quietly. Winry smiled as she wiped away tears. She snapped Ed's arm into place. He issued a loud, painful cry. Al burst in.

"What happened?!" he asked quickly. Winry squeezed Ed's hand.

"I was just connecting Ed's arm." Winry said. Ed grimaced in pain. Al sighed with relief.

"Just as long as he wasn't trying to...you know." he said quietly. Winry nodded and let go of Ed's hand.

"Winry...I'm ready to start therapy." Ed said in his pain.

Winry smiled and closed the door. She waltzed towards Al and took him by his hands. "Ed's ready to begin therapy." she said happily. Al smiled and twirled her around. He plopped her on a couch and sat beside her and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek. Winry returned with a longer kiss on Al's lips. He blushed slightly.

"Um, that's great Winry." he replied, trying wipe away his embarrasment. Winry nodded. "Let's celebrate.". she said, putting her hand behind Al's head, pulling him into a lip lock. Al blushed deeply. He felt so inexperienced. He had never kissed a girl on the lips before. He moved closer and caressed Winry's face. She broke off the kiss and smiled. Al touched her face. "I..love you." he whispered. Winry nodded and got up.

A few days later, Ed was off to his first session of therapy. Al and Winry were left the task of cleaning the apartment. When they finally finished, they both flopped on the couch, holding hands. "Good job. We finally finished!" Winry said, smiling. Al leaned over and kissed her softly on her cheek. She giggled and nuzzled Al's neck. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'm home." Ed called out. Al and Winry let go of each other and straightened out.

"Nii-san, how was it?" Al asked. Ed took off his coat and set it on the table.

"It was...okay, I guess." He said, shrugging.

"What did the therapist say?" Al asked.

"The usual you know the**_ what caused you to act so dramatically _**so I told him I couldn't remember and he said**_ its a severe problem when you act on a selfish impulse you know you mean the world to your brother and all your friends_** and after that he just starting telling me to plan out my future and to start to live life to its fullest again. Its just an act, they don't know why humans do the things we do like he said we all run off of selfish impulse." Ed sighed

"Well did you start to recollect your lost memories?" Winry added quickly

"Well its hard to explain but since ...then I have been able tot think alot clearer about things I wasn't sure about and sure enough things make better sense." Ed explained

"What kinds of things, Ed?" asked Winry

"Just stuff." he replied and wandered to the couch in the sitting area

"I wonder what he thinks about now? " she whispered quietly to Al

"I could only ever guess, my love." he whispered even quieter and gently brushed his hand along her cheek.


	4. Blood and Betrayal

It was a rainy Sunday morning. Edward was gone again to see his therapist. Alphonse was sitting on a couch when Winry began to stroke his hair from above. He looked up and smiled.

"What are we doing Alphonse?" Winry said meekly

"What do you mean?" replied Al.

"I feel guilty from hiding us from Edward. It's not fair to him and it may trigger another impulse if he finds about us this way." Winry sighed guiltily.

"Well I mean it's not fair for either of us to be forced to secrecy, I know that much." Al responded.

"It doesn't feel unfair when I'm with you though Al?" Winry added as she started to smile.

"I feel the same way " He whispered into her ear and than moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her for a kiss. This time he didn't feel odd at all, he could only feel their bond that seemed to be taking shape every moment they spent together. It was perfect until...

"How could you Al I thought blood was thicker than water!" Ed screamed hoarsely.

"Ed!" they both screamed in unison as he slammed the door to his room Al ripped apart from Winry and sped to the shut door. As he opened the door he saw the horrifying picture of Ed holding up a gun to his head.

"ED!!!!!" Al shouted.

"Don't come any closer or I will pull this trigger!! Ed screamed.

"Please! Edward, think about this I love you! You can't leave this way think of everyone you can't do this to us or yourself!" Al esclaimed in a slightly sharper tone.

"Why should I believe you Al? You've taken everything from me. And now you've taken my only true love, yah blood is definetely thicker than water isn't it?!" Ed screamed this time slightly higher pitch.

"I'm your brother! Please, you've got to trust me on this, we didn't mean for you to find out this way." Al responded in a hoarse voice.

"You mean you didn't want me to find out at all!" Ed exclaimed as Winry burst through the door in tears.

"Why are you so cruel? Everyone around you can feel your pain it's as if we aren't allowed to be happy anymore!!!!!!!!!!" exclaimed Winry. Ed glared at the crying girl.

"I'm being cruel because I believe nobody cares anymore! It's just been about what you wanted and nobody else! You may not believe it, but I do exist too! But if my existence means nothing..." he said, tighting his grip on the trigger. Winry gasped.

"No! We do care! Ed, you're being unreasonable!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm unreasonable? Would my death by reasonable, then?" he asked.

"STOOOP IIIIIIIIITTTTT!" A voice screamed, silencing the fight. Al dropped to his knees and stared up at his older brother. "Nii-san...We do care. I guess I was only thinking about what I wanted, but I won't let that stop me from acknowledging your existence. You're part of my life, whether you like it or not, and you always will be." Al said. He rose up.

Ed looked at his brother. His hand dropped the gun. Winry looked at the gun as if it was the devil.

"Ed, I know you probably think we are doing this to hurt you but you trying to kill yourself won't solve problems, you know that. When things get tough, death should never be an option. Its not an escape from all this, and all you'll do is end up hurting your friends and Ed we're all you've got." Winry whimpered as she collected herself enough to move out of the room taking the gun with her. You could hear her sobbing through the door even though it was no louder than a mouse would have been. Ed looked away guiltily.

"I didn't know...I scarred so many people. The only one I thought I scarred...was myself." he said.

"You didn't scar anyone Ed. You're just to easy to get attached to." Al responded as he left the room but Ed remained frozen on the floor stunned at everything that just occured.

**_'Edward, you fool. Your brother's happy. All you've been doing is jeopardizing his happiness. Maybe I should cast away my feelings for Winry. It might be best for everyone.''_ **he thought to himself.

And to look at the two of them, how could they be that they are so happy, young, flawless and completely helpless to this world and all I can do is sit and put on a fake smile to fool them.

After finishing their meal Al and Winry asked to be excused and Ed couldn't say no after all that had happened today so they settled snuggly beside each other and talked in hushed tones of things that caught their interest, Winry would talk about her ambition she had towards mechanics and Alphonse couldn't help but talk about how great he felt after he finally became old enough to be his brother's partner in crime. Ed slowly retired to his room and started to read some books he had discovered at the library labeled the Thule Society property. He could remember how they had come into the possesion of it to. Ed had been looking for things documented by the Thule Society and they had not found any records in the main part of the brother to keep the librarian busy so he could sneak into the back. Yep. Alphonse never let him down. A bond like that could and never will be broken. Those were definetely good times.


	5. A New Love

A day after the gun incident, Edward was ready to sleep in his own room. While Ed was away at his therapist, Winry and Alphonse took some time to move all of Ed's things out of the guest room. Now Winry could sleep in there, instead of sleeping on a lumpy couch.

An hour later, Winry and Al flopped on the couch.

"Phew...we're done!" Winry said tiredly.

Al smiled. "You can move your things into the guest room, if you like." he said. Winry smiled and moved closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder for a minute, before getting up and grabbing her bag. She entered the guest room.

On the floor of the guest room was Ed's blood from when he cut himself. Winry sighed and put her bag down. She unzipped her bag and pulled out her clothes when she heard the front door open. "Ed!" she said and headed out of the guest room.

"Nii-san! How did it go?" Al asked. Ed shrugged.

"Same old, Same old, I guess." he replied, putting his coat down. He looked at Winry, who pointed at the door to Ed's room.

"It's ready." she said quietly. Ed smiled.

"Thanks." he replied, walking over to the room. He closed the door quietly.

An hour later, much to everyone's relief, Ed left his room, unscathed and alive. Winry was in the kitchen making supper while Al was reading a college textbook titled "History". He looked up and said, "Nii-san! This world's history is much more interesting than Amestrian history!". Ed smiled and looked at Winry.

"So, what's for supper?" he asked. Winry smiled.

"Your favorite. Stew." she replied. Ed laughed.

"Really? You remember?" he asked. Winry nodded.

"How could I forget?" she replied.

"So Nii-san, what did you and the therapist discuss?" Al asked. Ed lowered his spoon into his stew.

"I still can't remember what happened the first time I tried to commit suicide, but we've devised a way for me to not forget people and events." he replied.

"How?" Winry asked.

"Pictures," Ed replied, "I look at pictures with someone. We discuss what was happening when the picture was taken.". Winry nodded.

"I'll help you, if you want." she said. Ed nodded.

"Thanks." he replied.

Al smiled and nodded.

After supper, Al offered to clean up the kitchen while Winry and Ed took a look at the photographs Winry had brought over. Al was outside the door, listening in to the conversation.

"Look, look...remember when Den fell in the river and brought Al down with him?" Winry asked. Ed laughed.

"Yeah, I remember! Our mom was so angry at us for getting Al all dirty." Ed replied. Al smiled, he remembered when that happened.

"That's good. Okay, next one...Oooh! Here's a good one. Do you remember when Al got so angry at you that he pushed you down the hill?" Winry asked.

"Ummm...I broke my arm that day, right?" Ed asked.

"Yup." Winry replied.

"Then yeah, I remember." he said.

"Okay, good. Here's another one. Remember when we caught you writing love letters to our neigbour, Nellie?" Winry asked.

"Eh? W-well, yeah, b-but..." he replied. Embarrassment was clear in his voice. Winry giggled.

"Alright. Ah, here we go. Remember when you ran off screaming when you first saw Den?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah! I also remember tripping on the way home." Ed replied. Winry laughed.

"One more, okay? Oh, here's one. Do you remember when we had that huge mudfight on Al's 3rd birthday?" she asked.

"No...I don't remember." he replied.

"Oh, okay. Well, you got 29 out of 30 right. That's pretty good. As for the one you got wrong, you were pretty little, so you probably wouldn't remember." Winry said.

Ed took Winry's hand.

"Uh, Ed?" she asked.

"Winry...are you really in love...with Al?" he asked in a hushed tone. Winry blushed.

"Umm...yeah." Winry whispered. Ed pulled her into a kiss. Winry resisted for a minute before she threw her hands around Ed. She pulled away and looked into the eyes of the boy she'd just fallen in love with. Her love for Al was in the past.


	6. Heartbreak The Conclusion

Alphonse was standing outside the door when he heard Winry and Edward confessing their love for each other. He sank to his knees. It was as if his heart had been ripped into small, microscopic pieces. He was in emotional pain and eventually froze up, hitting the floor. He was falling into shock.

"E-Ed..." Al whispered in a dry tone. He blacked out just as Ed left his room.

Al woke up in a hospital bed. Ed was looking over him and smiled.

"Thank God. You were shaking on the floor. Your eyes were rolling to the back of your head as well. I thought you were having a seizure." he said. Al looked at him.

"What? What do you mean?" he asked. Ed looked at him sadly.

"Al...you've had epilepsy since you were 1." he replied. Al gasped.

"What? How?" he asked panickingly. Ed sighed.

"I'm sorry we never told you. But don't freak out to much, or you'll go into shock again." he replied.

"That never answered my question!" Al said. Ed looked at him.

"Al...when you were born, you instantly went into a seizure. It was a miracle that you survived the first time. Anyways, the doctor put you on herbal pills that subdued your next seizure. We hid it in your food and in whatever you drank. So, there you go." he replied.

Al was shaking again. Ed looked at him. Something was wrong.

"A-Al?" Ed asked. Al looked at him admist his shaking and squeezed his hand

"W...Winry..." he said dryly. Ed gasped.

"But I can't leave you!" he replied. Al gripped his brother hand as his nose began to bleed heavily. He suddenly stopped, his eyes closing.

"Al!" Ed called out. A doctor ran in, shooing Ed away.

Winry was at the stove when Ed came in. She smiled, but frowned when she saw Ed's face.

"Ed...what happened?" she asked.

"I don't know." he replied. Winry walked over to him and hugged him.

"It'll be alright." she said before Ed began kissing her and pulling her closer. She staggered away from him on to a couch as he got close again. He took her left hand as she used the right one to caress Ed's face. She freed her left hand to pull Ed close. He broke off the kiss and caressed Winry's face. She giggled.

The phone rang. Ed let go of her and went to answer it.

"Hello? Oh, hi. Yeah...okay, thanks." he said, hanging up. Winry got up.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"They're bringing Al over. He's apparently too weak to stand." Ed replied.

Winry smiled. "I'm glad he's alright...I just hope he has enough strength to recover."

"Don't say things like that..." Ed said. Winry hugged him.

About 15 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Ed jumped up and rushed to the door. He opened the door to two men carrying a stretcher. Al was unconcious with an oxygen mask over his mouth. They layed him on his bed and left. Ed saw to it to make Al comfortable.

Ed pulled a blanket over Al and set his oxygen tank on the bedstand. Ed was finishing up when Al took his hand. Ed stared into his dreary eyes. Al looked at him.

"Nii-san...you kissed her...while I was away, didn't you?" he whispered. Ed looked away. Al smiled and gripped his hand.

"That's fine. It seems I may not live much longer, so...take her." he replied quietly. Ed gasped.

"What?" he asked. Al nodded.

"Whatever makes you happy, Nii-san. Live a happy life with a family of your own. Just don't forget me..." Al replied. He closed his eyes. Ed left the room.

"Ed? What happened?" she asked. He shook his head and walked into her arms. She held him close as she heard him sob.

-THE END-

-EPILOUGE-

"Edward, why are we moving to the other side of town?" Winry asked. Ed kept silent as they made their journey to their new home. Winry saw him open his mouth to reply.

"We're moving because that apartment's not big enough to accomodate our baby. I also don't want him to grow up in such a place, filled with sorrow." he said.

Winry nodded and held her pregnant belly, her wedding band glimmering in the backseat. "Yeah, that's right..." she said in a quieter tone. Ed looked into the backseat and smiled.

"It'll be alright. Our child will grow up strong." he said. Winry smiled.

A few minutes later, Ed stopped in the driveway of a middle-sized house. He got out first then went to help his wife out of the back seat. He looked at her and blinked with suprise.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"What? Ohh...I'm 22, same as you." she replied. After all, Ed's amnesia didn't leave. Ed would ask the occasional questions, but he never remembered what he did the first time he tried to commit suicide.

A few hours later, they unpacked some boxes and decided to rest for the day. Winry left to take a walk.

It was cloudy outside, and threatening to rain. Winry sighed. She was about to turn back when she saw the cemetary. She realized it was the one that Al was buried in, and in that instant, decided to visit him.

It began to rain as she reached his grave. She knelt at it and ran her hand along it.

"Hey Al...It's been a long time, eh? Almost 10 months. Alot has happened during that time, like I got married to Ed and I'm going to have a baby soon. I hope you're happy where ever you are, and I will bring my son to meet you someday." she said before she gripped her stomach and fell on the ground. She moaned loudly. A car stopped outside the cemetary as Ed sprung out of it and dashed towards his wife.

They made it to the hospital in time for Winry to deliver her baby girl, whom she named Felicity. Felicity grew up strong and eventually walked to the cemetary to visit "Uncle Al" by herself. She says that she feels his presence when she goes to sleep, as if he was watching her, protecting her.


End file.
